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Posted: July 23, 2009

Download 'An introduction to proteins in 30 minutes'

(Nanowerk News) As part of the company’s continued support within the field, Malvern Instruments has published a comprehensive, highly accessible technical note introducing readers to the basics of protein chemistry. The document, ‘An Introduction to Proteins in 30 minutes’ is now available to download from Malvern’s website.

Covering protein composition and structure, the paper also includes measurement and characterization techniques. As an instrument manufacturer, Malvern has extensive experience in how size, molecular weight and zeta potential measurements can aid both manufacturers and researchers working with proteins.

Example of a protein molecule

While Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) is a relatively recent technique in the field of proteins, the lessons learned from materials science and other fields are helpful to protein chemists. Malvern’s Zetasizer software, for example, has a model to predict a protein’s molecular weight from hydrodynamic size measurements. Size measurements can also be used as a predictor of structural activity. In conditions of extreme temperature and pH a protein will become denatured. By measuring hydrodynamic radius using DLS, this behaviour can be understood and controlled, enabling establishment of the protein’s melting point, for example.

Other techniques, such as Static Light Scattering (SLS), Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) and the measurement of zeta potential as an indication of surface charge are also covered by Malvern’s new technical note. A highly useful introduction for newcomers into the fields of biochemistry, molecular biology and pharmacology, Malvern also anticipates that the download will be a useful tool to highlight the benefits of characterization instrumentation among protein chemistry experts.

About Malvern Instruments

Malvern Instruments provides a range of complementary materials characterization tools that deliver inter-related measurements reflecting the complexities of particulates and disperse systems, nanomaterials and macromolecules. Analytical instruments from Malvern are used in the characterization of a wide variety of materials, from industrial bulk powders to nanomaterials and delicate macromolecules. A broad portfolio of innovative technologies is combined with intelligent, user-friendly software. These systems deliver industrially relevant data enabling our customers to make the connection between micro (such as particle size) and macro (bulk) material properties (rheology) and chemical composition (chemical imaging).

Headquartered in Malvern, UK, Malvern Instruments has subsidiary organizations in all major European markets, North America, China, Korea and Japan, a joint venture in India, a global distributor network and applications laboratories around the world.